S.C. streamlines special education processes

Enrich State will centralize special education program data management, reporting and compliance monitoring to save staff time and money at both the state and district levels

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), states are required to collect and report data on a number of indicators concerning special education.

Gathering this data is often costly and time-consuming. To streamline special education program management for both state and district personnel, the South Carolina Department of Education has partnered with Excent to implement Enrich State, a special education data management system designed for the state level.

With the configuration and implementation process nearly complete, South Carolina school districts will soon take advantage of productivity-enhancing features that will help them fulfill their responsibilities to the Department of Education with less hassle.

“Enrich State will enable us to streamline the processes we use in special education in South Carolina,” said John R. Payne, director of the Office of Special Education Services for the South Carolina Department of Education. “This minimizes duplication of effort and saves money and time.”

Enrich State is a one-stop system that will allow district and state special education personnel to manage all IDEA and state-level compliance requirements, and to consolidate important performance data.

To help the South Carolina Department of Education make the most of their existing resources at the state and district levels, Enrich State receives data directly from LEA-level Individualized Education Program (IEP) software and student information systems. Enrich State then helps districts and the Department meet extensive IDEA reporting requirements, including results-driven accountability needs.

“Enrich is a process-based system, as opposed to a form-based system. Using Enrich State, districts and the Department will be able to better ensure procedural compliance,” said Payne. “This will enable us to conduct our work more smoothly and efficiently, leaving more time to focus on our students—the most important part of what we do every day.”

Laura Ascione

Laura Ascione is the Managing Editor, Content Services at eSchool Media. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland's prestigious Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
When she isn't wrangling her two children, Laura enjoys running, photography, home improvement, and rooting for the Terps.
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